The Story
They Meet.
It begins with Ed in the Bay Area and Colleen in San Diego. They met over July 4th weekend, 2009, in San Francisco, through their mutual friend, Thomson. Colleen thought Ed was creepy (and let's be real, he was). Shunned, he climbed a telephone poll in the middle of the Sunset District, fell awkwardly, and sprained his leg.
Try Number Two.
Eventually they re-met thanks to another mutual friend, Steve Jobs. Colleen, now living in New York for school, bought a new Macbook with a fancy web cam, and with some convincing from Thomson, talked to Ed once again. With the magic of blurry webcams, Colleen somehow found Ed attractive, and the two hit it off.
Long Distance Begins.
Colleen and Ed figured dating was worth a shot after months of spending time with each other on "this will never need to be rebranded" chat service, iChat. Ed, off screen, made a "yussss" sound, and in October, flew out from Napa to hangout with Colleen in New York.
The Cross-Country Road Trip.
Many flights back and forth over two years occurred, confirming for Colleen's friends that she did in fact have a real boyfriend. In 2011, Colleen helped Ed move to New York with a cross-country drive in his stick-shift Nissan Altima. Fun fact: Colleen doesn't know how to drive stick.
The Proposal.
With a PhD, a dog, and their own apartment, Ed proposed to Colleen on Christmas Day, 2015, with a giant rock [Pikmin] he made.
The Gang
Bride's Side
Phui "the H is silent" Lau
Phui is Colleen's sister. She lives in SF and loves her dog, Lola. Like any responsible older sibling, she offered Colleen her first beer.
Katie "Heeeey roomie" Sawai
Even though Katie is from the west coast too, she and Colleen met/worked together/lived together in NYC. Some people think they are sisters when they both wear big glasses.
Melanie "What's a cell" Vongdeuane
Coolleen tutored Mel during high school, but Mel schooled her in what really matters in life: Real Housewives, Ne-yo vs. Colby O'donis, and One Direction!
Nam "U D Man" Du
Nam and Colleen co-starred as Daddy and his Roommate for a high school video book report, and have a common love for sushi and long, satisfying burps.
Linda "El Phoutha" Phouthavone
Mama Laotina Ubered Colleen around (with no surge charging) in high school to Key Club events. As a direct result, Colleen is now Dr. Lau (you're welcome).
Ann "¿Qué?" Luc
Thanks to Tamagotchi and the school bus, Ann and Colleen have a 16+ year friendship. She trusts Colleen with everything except plucking her eyebrows.
Phong "Ong-Ong" Bui
Born in Vietnam and raised in SoCal Vietnam, Phong met Colleen in college. Later he housed her in his windowless cave in Brooklyn.
Groom's Room
Andrew "Podo" Podojil
I’m just like Ed but
Younger and more attractive
Try to top that one
Hal "Hal Johnson" Johnson
Good friends since middle school, Hal and Ed share bonds of playing instruments larger than themselves, moving to and back from CA, and playing Mega Man 2 constantly.
Jon "The Strap" Ly
Jon, no stranger to the Podojils, met Ed at UConn. They lived together when studying "abroad" at SJSU, but by studied they really mean ate burritos.
Thomson "Oh, you know," Nguyen
When they met at drum corps, Ed broke Thomson's cow lamp on accident. But Thomson said the lamp was "awful" and "hated it," and thanked Ed for breaking it.
Mike "Ken" Kendall
Mike and Ed, rarely seen together with larger groups, are often considered the same tall lanky white male. "Whatever," says Mike, "I'ma go play some sweet jams."
Pasquale "LGM!" Cusello
Ed's older brother Pat represents everything Ed himself does not: a massive UConn football fan that cares about most sports played on grass.
With Special Guests...
Susi the flower dog
Susi is Ed and Colleen's 9-year old Shih Tzu rescue. She loves napping and flipping around in her bed. Her favorite command she likes to give is "give me a belly rub."
Khoa Lam, Officiant
Khoa knows Colleen through middle school, and Ed separately through a shared passion for music, education, and hockey. At Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Ed "proposed" to Khoa (to be the officiant). Collectively, the three represent almost 30 years of friendship.
